According to Mac Rumors, this exact date of release is based off of the fact that Apple retail stores will be conducting store updates the night of July 24. It speculates that these updates will include installations of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion on all store Macs, as well as the addition of promotional information throughout the store.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be Apple's ninth operating system update in the OS X series (unless you count the public beta version "Kodiak," which would make this the 10th release).

It's too bad that apple is starting to fragment iOS like they stated is a major flaw in Android (minus stealing all their "patents"). I just love hypocrites that lie from great artist steal to doing what they find absurd (fragmentation of products). I can't wait till Tony comes to Apple's rescue and starts stating nothing but "facts" and tells everyone like it is and how we all just can't handle the "truth". I like how their OS support ends just after a short 3 year span. I just installed Windows 7 on a 6 year old single core AMD 2.4 GHZ with no problems and FULL support. GO APPLE !!!

This is actually the downside we're seeing to someone who creates both the hardware and software. They feel that can make up lost sales on the software front due to some customers buying new hardware to get future OS updates. Were as Microsoft tries to make their OS as compatible as possible with older systems because this increases potential sales.

Until recently, Android had 5 different versions on the market at the same time. This is hardly the same thing as what is going on here.

Not to say I agree with Apple discontinuing 3-4 year old products (This is why I don't buy Apple products), I do not agree that this is the same situation as Android. Apple will sell a single version of the OS, which will come preloaded on ALL their new hardware.

It's perhaps more precise to say they are dropping OS upgradability for those models. Software support for Lion should continue until mid-2013. Since the models that won't be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion were made in 2007-2009, that works out to cessation of software support ~4-6 years after production (e.g., 4 years for the Mac mini, 6 years for the MacBook Pro). I believe Apple withdraws hardware support 7 years after a model is discontinued (though you can of course get aftermarket parts and repairs).

quote: Meanwhile in the REAL REAL world (not Tony Swash's glorious Apple utopia) Apple is trying to play judge, jury, and executor.

How exactly is trying to get enforced an injunction granted by a court after due legal process "trying to play judge, jury, and executor"? Surely that could only be true if Apple had acted as the judge in the court case and made the court's decision for it. Instead Apple merely presented evidence and an argument that led to a neutral court agreeing with them. Tough for Samsung nice for Apple.

quote: They are king of the world in their own sick reality or lack there of.

I wish I knew what you meant by that and I tried very hard to work out what you might be saying but it still just came across as gobbledegook.

Apple went to court, they argued their case the best they could, using the best lawyers they could find. Samsung did the same - and lost. Generally I think courts, on balance, make at least rational decisions and in a way that allows both sides to present their case and any evidence they have. Personally I wish Apple could win every case and screwed Android's nuts to the floor but I am happy to accept the outcome of due legal process whichever way it goes.

Eventually this tedious cycle of court cases will subside. If Apple have made some companies, and Samsung is a prime example, a bit more cautious about being too blatant in their copying that will be a good result for Apple, the industry and the consumer. The best outcome will be if big tech companies like Samsung stop the puerile me-too product cloning and start coming up with original stuff, that way everyone benefits.

Wah wah wah is all I hear from you on EVERY Apple article. It must be nice to be able to patent a shape and get away with it and use that as your only "evidence" in all court cases pertaining to tablets. Apple is not the greatest company in the world nor did they "invent" anything BESIDES great marketing. PLEASE oh PLEASE enlighten me on how Apple is going to "invent" or "revolutionize" the TV once they release their iTV. Well it won't be named iTV atleast in the UK as they have already been warned by the real ITV but I and everyone else knows, that Apple will take them to court and somehow (bribe) the judges into letting them use the name. ITV has been since 1955 and yet Apple will own that name soon enough. Feel free to enlighten me on that topic as well since you know any and all things.

quote: Wah wah wah is all I hear from you on EVERY Apple article. It must be nice to be able to patent a shape and get away with it and use that as your only "evidence" in all court cases pertaining to tablets. Apple is not the greatest company in the world nor did they "invent" anything BESIDES great marketing. PLEASE oh PLEASE enlighten me on how Apple is going to "invent" or "revolutionize" the TV once they release their iTV. Well it won't be named iTV atleast in the UK as they have already been warned by the real ITV but I and everyone else knows, that Apple will take them to court and somehow (bribe) the judges into letting them use the name. ITV has been since 1955 and yet Apple will own that name soon enough. Feel free to enlighten me on that topic as well since you know any and all things.

You are getting all worked up about a non-existant legal action that may happen at some point in the future, pertaining to a non-existant product that may never be announced. It appears Apple's success may have driven you into a seriously anxious state. Calm down. There are more important things to fret about such as real problems like how on earth is Google ever going to deal with the non-deployment of Android system updates, hardware fragmentation amongst Android devices and the spread of Android malware.

Please explain how you can even fathom the idea that Apple would have any remote chance of any court case with ITV. They have broadcasting TV since 1955. LONG before Apple and even before your Lord and Savior Steve came along. Personally, I don't even have a "smart" phone and don't care for them. I just hate how Apple is portrayed as the innovators and inventors of all things electronic and their sheeple's godly views of them. Just look in the mirror and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I knew you'd pull out the deflection shield and totally dodge all points that I brought up. It is what we all come to expect from the Great Tony. Now go curl up in the corner in the fetal position, with your Steve Jobs doll, that you bought before Apple had them taken off Ebay. Just rock back and forth telling yourself that it will all be ok. We will all see you once again pop in on the next Apple article and pull the trigger quickly with your legal jargon then run and hide once again. Have a great day.

It's not an issue as long as support is dropped for a valid reason - i.e., if newer computers have certain hardware/firmware/driver features that allow for better user experiences. For example, earlier versions of OSX dropped older machines due to not having the proper graphics support to hardware-accelerate the entire OS.

I'd rather not handicap features that could be available on newer machines just because older machines can't take advantage of them.

(That said, it would be better if the OS could still be installed without support for new features, but sometimes that's not possible - in this case, they're getting rid of EFI32 bit support, so it seems like a low-level change that couldn't be worked around. No idea how it'll effect the end user though)